John Rivers dishes out sneak peek of The Coop menu (Video)

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Chef John Rivers gave the Orlando Business Journal the scoop on his new restaurant concept The Coop. Rivers held a media tasting on Feb. 12 and shared his challenges and what it will be like to dine at The Coop when it opens in mid-March. (Megan Ribbens and Jim Carchidi/Orlando Business Journal)

New restaurant openings bring more dining options to the area, as well as create new construction and permanent jobs. They also bring more opportunities to local suppliers.

The Coop at 610 W. Morse Blvd. in Winter Park will feature refined Southern comfort food Rivers grew up eating. And the restaurant’s signature dish? Fried chicken, of course, which took Rivers a little more than a year to perfect.

But perfecting his fried chicken recipe wasn’t the only challenge Rivers faced. He said he and his team worked hard to narrow down the menu to the best of the best when working with a number of his favorite dishes from his childhood and wanting to bring flavors from Charleston to Louisiana and everywhere in between. “One of the toughest things was choosing the right mix of products and dishes on the menu that still make it unique while having the core products you have to have like fried chicken and meatloaf."

In addition, The Coop will feature Sweetie Pies, an in-house bakery offering an array of homemade pies like Georgia peach, Florida key lime and lemon icebox.

But comfort food won’t be the only taste of home you’ll get at The Coop. Eating there will be like sitting in your grandma’s dining room, Rivers said.

The 116-seat, 3,500- to 4,000-square-foot restaurant will feature three dining areas: The indoor dining room, the screened-in porch and an outdoor area with picnic tables. And the decor will feature handpicked items from local garage sales, antique shops and even eBay and Craigslist.

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